500 years of organ music

On Saturday, 2nd of September, I had the pleasure of playing an organ recital in Griedel (a village about 50 kilometres north of Frankfurt/Main).
This year, we’re celebrating 500 years of Martin Luther putting up his theses and the start of the reformation.

When I first talked about the idea of having an organ concert in the reformation year with our pastor, I thought that all three organ players in the parish could come together and each would play 20 minutes or so. Well, it seems I wasn’t clear enough on this, because one evening my husband came home from a meeting of the church committee and said that everyone was looking forward to „my organ recital“. Apparently the pastor had told them I would play the full concert.

What to do? I decided to take the listeners on a journey through time, starting with organ music from Luther’s time and moving on to modern music. I knew that I had to be careful what kind of modern music I could present to the audience as most people here are not really used to new sounds, but at the same time I wanted to give them some food for thought.

Here’s the full list of pieces I played:

Hans (Johann) Buchner (1483 – 1538)
Christ ist erstanden (Christ is risen)

Caterina Assandra (1590 – 1618)
Ego flos campi

Dietrich Buxtehude (1637 – 1707)
Nun bitten wir den heiligen Geist (BuxWV 208)

Johann Pachelbel (1653 – 1706)
Fugue in d minor (P. 154; T. 276)

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 – 1750)
Prelude and fugue g minor (BWV 558)
„Ich ruf zu dir“ from the „Orgelbüchlein“ (BWV 639)
Prelude and fugue G major (BWV 557)

Georg Andreas Sorge (1703 – 1778)
Trio C major

Justin Heinrich Knecht (1752 – 1817)
Freue dich sehr o meine Seele (Rejoice my soul)

Fanny Hensel (1805 – 1847)
Chorale (op. 3/1)

Felix Mendelssohn (1809 – 1847)
Andante D major (MWV W 6)

Emma Louise Ashford (1850 – 1930?)
Evening Hymn

Edward Elgar (1857 – 1934)
Vesper Voluntaries op. 14
Introduction – Andante – Allegro – Andantino – Allegretto piacevole – Intermezzo – Poco lento – Moderato – Allegretto Pensoso – Poco allegro – Coda

Kate Boundy (1866 – 1913)
Even Song

Carlotta Ferrari (* 1975)
La Salita al Mirteto

Lothar Graap (* 1933)
Der Mond ist aufgegangen (The moon has risen), variations for organ (GWV 320)
I. Verhalten (cautious) – II. Straff (taughtly) – III. Ruhig (quiet) – IV. Langsam (slow) – V. Freudig (joyful) – VI. Mäßig bewegt (moderately moved) – VII. Langsam (slow) – VIII. Bewegt (moved) – IX. Sehr ruhig (very quiet)

 
There were about 35 or even 40 people in the audience and after a long round of friendly and partly enthusiastic applause, I played „Caprice“ from „Cinq pièces pour orgue“ by Adolphe Marty.

Next year, my „main“ organ will have its 160th birthday, so there will be another recital coming up. I’ve already made plans what to play. But first, back to „standard organist life“ with Sunday services and all the rest.